For the want of a nail
by LazySierra
Summary: Fourth year Alternate Reality Fic. What would have happened if Harry was a prodigy in magic? What would have happened if the dark lord was a fire elemental? A darker story with the butterfly effect incorporated. Rated Mature for adult themes.


**For the want of a nail... **

**By SneakySierra **

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**Author's notes: **I have no Beta reader, so write a review or PM me if you spot a mistake.

Now to start with; I love the Harry Potter universe but many discrepancies annoy me to no end:

First, Harry, in my opinion, doesn't show any signs of emotional abuse when he leaves the Dursley's after ten long years of hardships, apathy and, antagonism. A child who is starved for love and shown harshness all his childhood cannot have a selfless personality. Harry might have a saving people thing but having a selfless character is contradicting.

Secondly, the fact that there was never a single time in the books where it was even hinted about Harry having feelings for Ginny. He had no feelings for anyone except Cho at the end of book four and in book five. Now in the sixth book, with the introduction of love potions, he suddenly falls in love with Ginny. Coincidence…_Oh please!_

Thirdly, the idea of Horcruxes was executed poorly. It was a **chore** reading the Horcrux hunt camping trip. Again, the cheery tone of the epilogue didn't match with the darkness of the book. Rowling should not have written an epilogue.

I can't believe that Rowling turned Harry into an average Joe later on. An Auror in the Ministry? _Hell no!_ Harry was unwilling to lend his support to the ministry under Rufus Scrimgeour in book seven. Plenty of Death Eaters got off scot-free after the war. The Ministry was still corrupt after Lord Voldemort died. Harry working as Auror in the ministry is not consistent.

Furthermore, Ron and Hermione would never remain married, if they ever married- that is merely a divorce in the making. Their personalities don't match. They bicker too much; Hermione pushes too hard, and Ron gives up too easily. Opposites attract, but like-mindedness draws more.

One more inconsistency that comes to mind is the Patronus charm. It's shown to us as a beyond NEWT level Charm. Only some Aurors are able to learn it. It takes Harry over four months to learn it with his Boggart as a Dementor. He also struggles with finding a happy memory, etc. But come the fifth year and, the whole damned DA is learning it like an average charm in a matter of weeks.

Lastly, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Let's pretend there's no such thing!

Future A/N's won't nearly be this long. Moving on, as this is my first fic, your reviews are very much appreciated. They bring me literal bursts of happiness. Please Review!

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**HEAD CANONS:** 1\. "Up until the Statue of Secrecy went into effect in 1692, the world wasn't divided into magical and muggle. Afterwards the Wizarding Countries were not always - or not at all - affected by changes in the muggle ones. There's no Magical United States of America, for example. Magical Germany wasn't united in 1871 - or at all."

This head canon that I acquired from Starfox5 is just brilliant, and one that I will be including in this fic.

2\. Harry has his mother's green eyes and her eyesight as well.

This head canon I read about on r/hpfanfiction on Reddit and I'm including it in this fic.

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**Backstory:** Since I don't want to write canon rehash with minor changes for all three years before this, I'm providing you with the backstory of what has happened till here in brief.

Harry is a Ravenclaw in my story and, Ravenclaws live in separate rooms in their tower. He also does not play Quidditch.

After a lot rewriting and editing I've decided to cut Hedwig out. I don't see Hedwig being meaningful in any way in this story.

The first year is a canon rehash, except Harry is a prodigy in magic and is sorted into Ravenclaw. He gets bored with the slow pace of teaching, finishes the syllabus by himself; and writes to his lawyers that he wants to be advanced a year, like he has done so previously in his muggle school.

His lawyers petition the Hogwarts Board of Governors and are succesful in accomplishing this task with one condition; that Harry will have to score at least five Outstandings with rest of his grades not being below Exceeds Expectations. He gives his first year final exams in the middle of the year, and moves to the second year. He catches up on six months of already taught stuff and copes with the pressure of catching up. He gives his second year final exams at the end of the year. While the rest of the first year students like Hermione, Ron and, Draco etc. gave the first year final exams at the end of the year, Harry gave the first year final exams at the end of six months and the second year final exams at the end of the year.

The ending is same as canon with a few changes: Harry places a powerful locking charm at the third floor corridor after he discovers Fluffy, owing to his advanced magical skill so that no other first year or second year may be accidentally in harm's way.

Harry solves the mystery alone as well as goes to the third floor corridor alone at the end of the year when Dumbledore leaves the castle to protect the stone.

The second year is also a canon rehash: Harry receives a warning from the ministry about his illegal use of underage magic. His lawyers get that strike against his record expunged. Harry finishes the third year syllabus and writes to his lawyers again, while Hermione, Ron and, Draco etc. are studying second year stuff.

Meanwhile, he makes friends with Luna. His lawyers petition the Board of Governors for advancement citing his increased intellect and skill at magic. The Board grants his request citing their previous requirement again; that Harry must score at least five Outstandings with the rest of his grades not being below Exceeds Expectations. Harry completes the requirements and passes with flying colours again.

He also starts investigating the Chamber of Secrets after Christmas and figures out the mystery beast before Hermione is petrified. He goes alone to Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom, discovers the Chamber and argues with the Diary Riddle. He defends Dumbledore (as they have a mentor- apprentice relationship) and with the help of the Phoenix, kills the beast. He destroys the diary on instinct and saves Ginny. He never figures out how Ginny got her hands on such a dark artifact.

He meets with Minerva Mcgonagall in the Headmaster's Office. She contacts Dumbledore upon seeing Ginny alive before her eyes. Dumbledore returns and suspects Malfoy Senior but without proof he doesn't say anything. Elizabeth suggests him to get the beast harvested and talks to Dumbledore on his behalf about the profit sharing. At his intimation at a later date, she also asks Dumbledore to organize a mental health checkup at Hogwarts for all students (in particular Ginny) after the exams are over.

Dobby is killed by Malfoy Senior later when he realizes how the elf must have betrayed him but Harry doesn't know who Dobby belongs to and neither does he learn of his death.

While the rest of the second year students like Hermione, Ron and, Draco gave the second year final exams at the end of the year, Harry gave the third year final exams at the end of six months and the fourth year final exams at the end of the year.

No one realizes that Harry is a parselmouth.

The third year is a bit different but doesn't have any major things happening. Since his lawyers visit him weekly at the Dursleys, they forbid the Dursleys from letting Aunt Marge come to Privet Drive, having met with her once before.

Harry gets his Hogsmeade permission slip signed by Vernon.

He boards the Hogwarts Express and is with Luna, Ginny, Anthony Goldstein and Demelza Robbins in a train compartment talking about Sirius Black when Dementors board the train.

Due to dementor exposure, his immune system becomes weak (Lupin arrives a bit late with his patronus) and a week later at Hogwarts, Harry contracts a magical cough. He is transferred to the Magical Ailments ward at St. Mungos and remains severely sick for about four months. He remains there under strict security measures and heavy Aorur presence.

Meanwhile, Hermione is not given a time turner and is instead told to choose her subjects like the rest of students. She's told that not even a prodigy like Harry Potter was allowed to choose all the classes.

The press attacks the Fudge administration for Harry Potter's deteriorating health. After a month of infighting between the newspaper and the administration; the Fudge administration buys the controlling share of the only national newspaper in the country to stop it from slandering the minister's name anymore.

After Harry recovers and arrives at Hogwarts about five months later he starts studying for his OWL's. He learns the Patronus charm from Lupin outside of class. It takes him two months.

Harry visits Hogsmeade with Ginny and Luna and thoroughly enjoys his trip there. He receives a belayed Christmas present with no note. Inside a custom racing broom - the Firebolt 9. He cannot figure out who the sender is. The broom must be worth two kidneys and an eye. So the sender must be rich but must also not know him properly, otherwise he'd know that Harry doesn't play Quidditch.

Harry takes the broom out for a ride and crashes due to his only flying experience being the flight lessons he took in his first year. He resolves to learn how to fly properly. Ginny agrees to teach him but they mostly fool around with each other instead.

Returning from a Hogsmeade weekend mid-March, a big black dog attacks him and drags him through a tunnel under the Whomping Willow. Ginny (who was on a date with him) runs after him and enters the tunnel. The dog turns into Sirius Black and a confrontation follows. Harry learns the truth from Black and Black leaves for a cave where he has been hiding all this time. Harry tries to capture Scabbors the rat, but cannot find him.

He asks Granger for information on Ron in the library. She asks for a favor in return. Through her he learns about Granger's feud with Ron. With Scabbors the rat missing for months now, Harry meets up with Sirius a week later and explains to him the situation and provides him with a few supplies he gathered, a letter and hands him the Firebolt 9. Sirius protests but Harry tells him that he is pants at flying and after he learns it, he will have that broomstick back.

Opening the letter Sirius eyes an extremely well detailed escape plan to France. Harry comments that his lawyers are something else.

While the rest of the third year students like Hermione, Ron and, Draco gave their third year final exams at the end of the year; Harry gave his OWL's at the end of the year with the Weasley twins and the rest of the fifth year students.

To those who ask what led to this changed series of events:

Harry is sorted in Ravenclaw.

He and the Weasleys are not as close as they are in cannon. Harry is close with Ginny after the Chamber of Secrets debacle but no other Weasley.

Fred and George do not give the map to Harry, as his Hogsmeade permission slip is already signed; who in turn does not have to give it to Lupin when he gets caught by Snape at night.

When Lupin doesn't have the map, he can't come to the Shrieking Shack and leave the map open on his desk in a hurry and not drink his Wolfbane potion either. He stays in the castle and drinks his Wolfsbane potion.

When Lupin can't leave the map open because he does not have it; Snape, who in canon sees Black's name on the Marauders Map left open on the table by Lupin in a hurry can't come to the Shrieking Shack to capture him. He stays in the castle, thus leading up to this series of events.

Harry's lawyers have applied for his emancipation and he will be considered an adult when he passes his OWL's. Harry will start his fourth year as an adult.

He intends to advance again by finishing the syllabus in four to five month's time and ask his lawyers to petition the Board of Governors again to advance him to the seventh year. He wishes to give his NEWT's with the rest of the seventh year students this coming year.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Harry Potter Franchise. I heart-fully thank J.K. Rowling for creating this amazing masterpiece.

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**Chapter One: Departure**

**11 July 1994**

**6:30 AM**

**The Smallest Bedroom**

**Privet Drive**

**Harry's POV**

Harry felt the ground shaking and saw the bookshelves of the library crumble as he focused on keeping them stable and standing. Despite his efforts, he failed to keep the library intact. It crumbled to dust in front of his eyes rapidly.

Building a Memory Palace was hardly an easy job. It was an advanced Occulumency technique which he'd been trying to master for the last two years. It helped in memorising large amounts of information very quickly. It provided one with an eidetic memory. Occulumency also boosted one's ability to make quick, accurate decisions in the spur of the moment, in the heat of the battle.

Dumbledore had given him various books and tips over the years when he'd asked him about Occulumency in his first year.

Unfortunately, Harry had soon discovered that he had no particular skill nor affinity with this branch of magic at all. He just couldn't give up on it though; some of the techniques described were too good to be passed, so he'd started on it in his first year.

Dumbledoor blamed the Black blood in him through his Grandmother Dorea as cause of his limited ability in the art. He said that the Blacks and Occulumency didn't mix well. Harry countered that Dumbledore could go and suck it: in his mind.

Thus, he struggled with Occulumency techniques. He'd successfully built a hall, two bedrooms and a balcony overlooking the grounds on Hogwarts in his Memory Palace. The library was the next milestone. Determined, Harry practised the frustrating art for an hour or so every day. It was slow and laborious work, but he muddled through.

Looking at the clock, Harry saw it was an hour from breakfast and decided on studying something else. Picking up a book on Norse runes, he dove head first in to it. He couldn't concentrate on it however; his thoughts a mixed bag varying from how much marks he

**7:45 AM**

**Downstairs in the Kitchen...**

**Petunia's POV**

Dudley's wails for food weren't stopping. Petunia fretted as to what to do. It was all that wretched school nurse's fault. The letter from Smeltings had come just ten days ago stating that Dudley had grown too fat. He couldn't even fit in his school uniform anymore.

That wretched nurse had recommended a diet plan for her poor baby; already he'd grown so weak from not eating his fill; Petunia cursed as she gave Dudley another plate of grapes against the plan. As Dudley ate on the couch, Vernon grumbled from the kitchen table at the injustice happening in front of his eyes.

**Vernon's POV**

Petunia had enforced Dudley's diet on everyone else too: "We'll diet with you to give you moral support, Dudders". The horrifying words said more than a month ago were still a source of nightmare for Vernon.

He suffered because of his silence that day. His stomach grumbled as did his mind with his planning to eat some doughnuts at the bakery near his office. The bakery owner now considered him a regular and gave him a ten percent discount on all purchases.

Not wanting to look at his empty plate, his mind wandered to his nephew, specifically why he hadn't come down for breakfast yet.

The boy came just as he was about to shout for him.

"Speak of the devil" Vernon muttered.

**Harry's POV**

"Comb your hair!" Uncle Vernon yelled at him. He liked to complain about things: the people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, Harry were just a few of his favourite subjects.

Harry took a seat at the table and Petunia handed him a plate of breakfast and some juice and then promptly focused her attention on Dudley.

After finishing his breakfast, Harry booked a cab for the airport while Petunia watched him using the telephone from the corner of her eye like a hawk.

Vernon had left for work already. Dudley left for his best friend's house some time later as well. Petunia also got on with her day, while Harry packed his stuff upstairs.

The Dursleys all knew he'd be leaving for a vacation in Paris today.

Harry couldn't help but flaunt his wealth in front of the Dursleys; otherwise, they would have made his life miserable as they'd tried to do with his childhood at least until his lawyers had shown up...

Showing his wealth off kept them appropriately cowed. Owning 51% shares of Grunnings might also have had something to do with the fact though.

Harry heard a horn honking outside Privet Drive thirty minutes later. His ride out of here had arrived. He smiled.

**09:35 AM**

**Heathrow International Airport  
**

**Harry's POV**

He'd decided on visiting Paris for a vacation after overhearing Granger describe her vacation to Clearwater last year in the Library.

Granger was a Gryffindor who scored the second rank behind him consistently. The fact that she could not topple Harry from the top spot irked her nerves and she was frequently annoyed with him.

Her aloof and annoyed behavior resulted her in having less friends than usual, but she was good friends with Penelope Clearwater, the muggle world being their common heritage.

Anyway, enough about who he stole the idea of visiting Paris from, Harry was excited for his trip and wanted to make the most out of it.

He could also check up on the status of his Basilisk hide armor which his lawyers had suggested him to get made. The magical workshop was located in_ Rue de la Magie_, the French equivalent of Diagon Alley.

They had been extremely helpful and accommodating to Harry.

From visiting him weekly at the Dursleys to buying the shares of Grunnings to keep them under control. From fighting a battle of custody against Dumbledore in the Wizengamot (which they lost and couldn't remove him from the Dursleys) to arguing his case for promotion to second year in the midddle of the first year as he was so advanced in front of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. Harry had fallen for the elder witch Mrs. Elizabeth Clarke, Esquire and Seneschal and Proxy to the House of Potter and her assistant Robard Gywer, Esquire. They were his favourite people.

Soon the Airport came into view and, the car pulled into the departure terminal. Harry got off, and the driver went to get a trolley for the luggage. The driver loaded the trunk and Harry paid him.

His lawyers had managed to get him a passport for his travel just last year. Muggle Transportation was the only option if he wanted to travel discretionally; as the current head of the Department of Magical Transportation was Anthony Wylder: a man his lawyers greatly suspected of being under Dumbledore's thumb. If he travelled through any magical means then Dumbledore would know about it in an hour. The wizards at the Airport though worked for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's and were easily bribed.

Three hours later as Harry's flight left British airspace, a device stopped whirring in the office of Albus Dumbledore and started flashing red. This particular knick knack was one of many made by Dumbledore to keep an eye on the boy, a task which otherwise would require a lot more manpower. The reason this device was now flashing red was that Harry Potter had left the British territory and the device was unable to keep track from him so far.

The problem with the device was that if the boy didn't return back in 12 hours, it would permanently lose the ability to track him. Dumbledore had made this device using Harry's blood and it was a highly illegal method of tracking someone; unfortunately some things had to be done for the greater good. Harry didn't know about this.

Unfortunately for Headmaster Dumbledore, Harry had planned his departure to coincide with Dumbledore's Wizengamot sessions where Mrs. Clarke was representing the interests of the House of Potter and simultaneously running interference for him and, would continue to do so for the whole day.

Five hours later, the captain welcomed his passengers to Paris on the PA system.


End file.
